Role of Attitude, Ethics, and Communication module in medical education: A scoping review

ABSTRACT

AETCOM is an acronym for Attitude, Ethics, and Communication. The National Medical Commission included this crucial subject as part of India’s competency-based medical education curriculum. The goal of AETCOM is to train future doctors to develop essential skills in patient-centered care with empathy, ethical decision-making, and effective communication, so as to produce more compassionate and competent healthcare professionals. A review of literature from databases such as Scopus, PubMed, Medline, and Google Scholar was conducted to analyze the role of the AETCOM module in medical education. AETCOM is intended to serve as a roadmap for educators and institutions as they develop a long-term, comprehensive program. It is designed to develop soft skills of medical students such as professionalism, empathy, and communication, shifting focus from mere theoretical knowledge to holistic patient care and ethical clinical practice through role-playing, case studies, and integrated sessions during the training period. Ethics education is thought to be effectively delivered through role-plays and clinical experience. AETCOM module is helpful to provide knowledge, abilities, attitudes, beliefs, and responsiveness to Indian medical graduates for engaging with the public in their first encounters. In India, AETCOM is still in its infancy; the real-world assessment of its impact in clinical practice and medical education will undoubtedly offer further insights and knowledge. There is currently very little literature for the AETCOM module. This review article discusses details of the AETCOM module for medical students and residents.